This was our 2nd date. It was nice. Work-related talk was heavy, and I (f21) didn't understand half of what he (m23) was talking about, but I’m a curious person and am trying to learn. He moved from a smaller/rural town to a larger city (where I'm from), so most of high school was focused on trade classes and overall career options in the trades. He mentioned that this was the reason he picked the field. He said employers/co-workers here (big city) are frequently surprised by his skill level, considering his age and lack of advanced education. (He's been welding since he was 14, didn't graduate high school, no trade schooling outside of his high school program.)

He sent me these pics from work today. So now I have to ask, is he good?

Side note: He was humble in describing his skill and work. He's passionate about it and was “nerding out” as he talked about it. I found it endearing, as I tend to do the same when I talk about my work.

I posted on here before when I first got it running, now got most of the details worked out. Maybe few more days of small detail stuff. I think it’s around 5-6 tons. Thought you guys would enjoy it!

TLDR: metalworking Reddit helped me figure out how to free my roommates finger without going to the ER

My roommate had gained some weight...around their ring, without realizing it and got to the point where, no matter what kind of lube or method they tried, couldn't pull the ring off. We tried freezing their finger, holding their hand above their head, using crisco, wd40, and more🙊

So Im a woodworker and used to be a welder and do some light metalworking these days. They asked if I had a jewelers saw. I straight up tried cutting this ring off with a saw (covering their hand with chainmail gloves) and couldn't even make a nick in it. Then we looked up info on the ring and found out it was tungsten.

I asked a jewler if she had any tools or advice for breaking the ring. She said we needed find a professional to use special pliers or cut it with a diamond wheel. I do have a dremel and figured going slow and quenching her finger from time to time in water, maybe we could actually cut it off. Even though it sounds like something from Jackass. We go to Home Depot, try and buy a mini diamond wheel but someone stole them all.

Then it dawned on me. Tungsten is super brittle so maybe we could just crack it off somehow! Sure enough, digging thru metalworking Reddit i read dozens of posts about breaking tungsten rings by dropping them.

Eventually I found a post where someone suggest using a handheld vise and a hammer. Well I have a hardcore bench vise at my shop nearby--and had the idea to just compress the ring (on her finger) in the vise until it cracked. Of course my housemate was apprehensive but it seemed safer than taking a diamond wheel to their finger.

So yeah we put her finger in the vise, and slowly closed down on it. Not one second into this, on the slightest crank of pressure did the thing crack in half and freed their finger, completely unharmed.

Oh and it was a replica of the ring from LOTR 😂

I’d say I prob went through about 50 boxes of 7018 rod maybe more. Total of 8 sheets of 4x8 3/8 plate, 1 sheet of 4x8 1/4, 1 sheet of 4x8 1/2. All hydraulic drive powered by a F134 engine. Goes through 32gpm of hydraulic oil at 3000psi with engine at full power.

Hi guys! My name is Ricky im a metal sculptor that uses epursosed metal to create art. I want to share with you guys this vulture that I welded together using some vintage broken typewriter parts along with an old calculating machine and some other scrap metal. put over 80 hours into thiS piece and im pretty pleased with the way it came out. What do you guys think? lts also now available to purchase for those interested

This project means a lot to my dad, he was a mold maker for over a decade before moving into a whitecollar job. It’s been years since he’s taken on a big project like this, fully hands-on.

He designed and built the main body from scratch, and a local craftsman handled all the riveting. The whole thing was drawn up in CAD, precision parts were made using CNC machinery, and a lot of old-school skill went into bringing it together.

Details:

• Modeled after a bomb (though it gets mistaken for a rocket).

• Polished aluminum shell with hundreds of precision rivets.

• Nose art, bomb tallies, and an engraved Enigma 3 cypher code.

• Mechanical, hand-operated panels open to reveal a rotating rifle rack.

• Hidden ammo storage with tiered rotating shelves.

• Red LED base lighting for dramatic effect.

• Weighs over 400 lbs — functional art at its finest.

This was his first major hands on build in a long time, and he’s incredibly proud of it. I thought r/metalworking might appreciate the skill and detail that went into it.

Made for a client that lives on Lake Havasu in Arizona. I found mixed media as a great way to explore materials to use, which led to this piece. Though I usually add stained glass, this piece felt good leaving it with just the two materials.

“Take two of the most rigid materials and soften them to be the most organic form you can think of. Not a single straight line. Also make it near impossible to find a start and stop; seamless to the point of magic.” -my inner dialogue

I went down a kumiko rabbit hole and thought it would be interesting to see if the geometry could be recreated in steel.

Every groove was hand-filed, and the entire piece is friction fit. No welds, no brazing, no glue.

I posted it to a woodworking subreddit first and was swiftly informed that steel is not, in fact, wood.

Fair enough.

I now have a newfound respect for woodworkers, a newfound hatred for files, and a much better understanding of why these are normally made from timber.

This beautifully done aluminum extrusion at the Manchester Art Gallery (MAG) caught my eye. Note the “MAG“ text done in the bottom right, as well as the threading. No clue why they felt the need to do all this, but I certainly appreciate it and thought y’all would too!

I’m curious how much something like this would cost. There can’t be more than 1000 pieces in this gallery that need placards, and it seems like kinda a waste of money…

High school graduation gift for a buddy’s daughter. $200, but it’s movie prop money 😬 So after she goes through the frustration of locktite and nylocks to get it open, it’ll be for fake money. I gave her dad the real cash for once she gets it open. The bolts that go through the middle of the money have been cut and welded to where they are just for amusement and not actually going through the money.

I saw this on Instagram. Dude starts with stainless steel plates, cuts, hammers and welds them into these animals. Then proceeds to polish them to incredible mirror finish.

I understand all the steps except for the welding. What type of welding is this?

Stainless steel welded to more stainless steel, so that when polished there's zero marks showing. Is this common?

I’m a French designer recently graduated from Design Academy Eindhoven. A Room for Echoes is a collection of sculptural steel furniture inspired by the Neo-classical funerary architecture. The collection includes a bookcase, a rotating chair and a monumental desk, handmade in my Paris workshop. The project explores memory, permanence and mortality through sharp forms and a deep black, glossy finish.